The present invention relates to seats mountable on toilets, bidets and the like. In particular it relates to such seats which have been modified for improved comfort, and provided with structures permitting customization of the seat.
A wide variety of toilet seats have been developed, typically in the form of rings with central holes, or horseshoe shaped structures with the opening of the horseshoe projecting forward. Many of the earlier toilet seats were made of wood or another hard material. Later seats were made of hard plastics. While these seats provided good support, they could be uncomfortable when used for an extended period, or when used by particularly sensitive individuals.
As a result the art developed a variety of cushioned toilet seats. Some of these were made of a single material which had considerable give in it to provide a mattress-like feel. However, those seats could be structurally somewhat weak. Further, they often would deform after prolonged periods of use.
The art also developed a variety of toilet seats made of multiple materials (e.g. one cushioning material and one material providing structural integrity). These multiple material seats provided some cushioning, while still permitting improved structural integrity.
Examples of such mixed material toilet seats include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,206,186, 1,208,869, 1,829,526, 351,863,799, 2,155,286, 2,160,100, 2,185,499, 2,771,612, 3,379,800, 3,513,050, 3,623,931, 3,639,922, 3,845,183, 3,863,277, 3,949,432, 3,988,789, 4,085,468, 4,155,127, 6,154,892, and 6,748,611. See also U.S. patent application publications 2003/0121090 and 2003/0121091.
A variety of considerations come into play when designing a mixed material toilet seat. A particularly decorative exterior material may be unsuitable for use in a water environment as being subject to degradation. Also, desirable external materials may be relatively expensive, thus leading one to want to minimize the thickness of the external layer using that material.
Another concern is the overall weight of the seat. It is generally true that the heavier the seat, the greater the noise that occurs when the seat accidentally drops down onto the toilet (absent a dampering system), and the greater risk of damaging the toilet base when that occurs. Further, the more material that is used to form the seat, the greater the material cost.
Apart from these issues the optimal contact feel for one portion of the body (i.e., one's rear end) may be quite different from the optimal contact feel along another portion of the body (i.e., one's rear thigh). This may have significant comfort implications, particularly for someone suffering from arthritis or another condition providing unusual sensitivity.
Hence, further improvements are desired in connection with designing toilet seats.